Thanks For The Memory
by VirendraLione
Summary: Upon leaving Vault 101 in search of her missing father, Aletta makes it to Megaton and is given her first glimpse of a barbaric, brutal world. She makes her choices and these force her into Slavery and, with the development of new slave detention technology, into contact with a man she thought she'd never see again. Lone Wanderer x Mr Burke. Rating May change as fic. progresses.
1. First Light

**Thanks for the Memory.**

**A Fallout 3 Fanfiction.**

_**Upon leaving Vault 101 in search of her missing father, Aletta makes it to Megaton and is given her first glimpse of a barbaric, brutal world. In her search for information Aletta meets money-hungry Moriarty, upbeat and patronising shopkeep, Moira and Mr Burke, a man who tries to recruit her to detonate the unexploded Megaton bomb in the centre of the small settlement. **_

_**Aletta makes her choices and these force her into Slavery and, with the development of new slave detention technology, into contact with a man she thought she'd never see again. **_

**Chapter One: First Light. **

The first thought that crosses Aletta's mind when the ramshackle door swings shut behind her, is that the Overseer is a complete and utter dick.

She should be feeling anger, sorrow or at least abandonment, but this is not the case. Instead, it is annoyance. After all, this doesn't seem so bad. Sure, the air is arid and the sun is hotter than she imagined and, hell, it's not pretty, but it's nothing to be scared of. Nothing that should inspire a homicidal hissy fit just because someone opens the Vault door.

Later on, and after she has rested, Aletta will come to realise that it is shock that summons these thoughts and then the anger and self-pity comes. She'll cry herself to sleep then, a lost little girl at the tender age of nineteen, wandering an unfamiliar world, looking for her daddy…

She reaches a jagged metal gate after god knows how long a trek and is greeted by a robot (a Protectron if she's not mistaken) that sounds funny; too many 'd' sounds where there should be 't's' and an accent that Aletta has never heard before. She strains to understand what the thing is telling her and only just grasps that the settlement behind it is called Megaton. Aletta passes through the gate with a forced smile, hoping that not everyone she'll meet talks like that.

She almost breathes a sigh of relief when she is approached by a dark-skinned man in a leather duster and a silver star pinned to his left lapel. His accent is more like hers and she can understand him as he introduces himself as Lucas Simms, the town Sheriff, 'And Mayor too, when the occasion calls for it.'

Aletta smiles and nods along, figuring it may pay to pretend like she knows what he's talking about. She asks about her Father and if the mayor has seen anyone fitting his description pass through. Simms directs her to 'Moriarty's', the saloon on the farthest crater side and she thanks him and makes a move in that general direction.

Aletta proceeds at a steady pace, not wishing to appear too out of place, but all the while stealing glances at the people and buildings around her. She passes a canteen affair on her left, reads the painted sign dubbing the place 'The Brass Lantern', wonders what a Lantern is and Brass for that matter. She finds she is pleased with the colour palette of the place, spotting blue, silver and rust brown in a tangled, yet organised chaos, a welcome change from the monotonous grey of the Vault walls.

To Aletta's right, nose down in a pool of water that makes her feel queasy when she gets too close, is a most peculiar object. She has seen a picture of one before on the slides in Mr. Brotch's classroom. He called it a Megaton bomb and Aletta recalls that they usually explode upon impact.

An uneasiness threatens and she makes a mental note to talk to Simms about it later.

She has to force the smile from her face as she traverses the walk ways to the saloon, passing through something that resembles a hollowed out train carriage with small port-hole windows. It serves as an improvised covered causeway.

Aletta stands on her tiptoes to look through one of the windows, receiving some strange glances from passers-by.

Regaining her composure at the bidding of a snide remark about her being a 'tourist', she continues on and finds herself at the tavern door within mere minutes.

She pushes it open and surveys the place for a moment. She can feel the itch of a dozen eyes on her and she seeks out the kindliest looking pair, approaching with an air of purpose that returns the other eyes to their own business. The woman before her calls herself Nova, but is unhelpful when Aletta asks for information on her father. Nova works for Colin Moriarty, she says and if she helps her then he'll kick her 'sweet ass out the door'. Aletta is told the man named Moriarty should be in the back room and that if she wants info. she should talk to him. Aletta offers a hasty apology at having bothered Nova and then sets her sights on the door to the back room, passing by a creature that Nova addressed as Gob, earlier. Aletta doesn't know what he is and she isn't exactly sure she wants to know.

She finds Moriarty with his eyes glued to a computer screen and she engages him in a rather confusing conversation about her origins when she asks about her Father.

Moriarty says he will give her information if she gives him caps. Aletta's heart sinks at this. She has only a few caps to her name and she had found them in an old vending machine on the way to Megaton, only keeping them because they were colourful and interesting to look at.

Moriarty is less than sympathetic when she says she can't afford the price he is asking, and tells her that's the way it is and that she'd best come back when she's earned herself some money, in that case.

Disheartened and feeling very much alone in such a crowded place, Aletta makes her way back through the bar and is about to open the saloon door when someone calls out to her. She turns to see a man in a greying business suit, complete with hat and tinted eyeglasses smiling to her from a chair in the corner. The smile is not exactly what she'd call genuine, but she is intrigued nevertheless and approaches, taking a seat opposite him when invited to do so.

The man introduces himself as Mr. Burke and says he has a proposition for her. Curious, Aletta invites him to continue.

However, she can feel her brow crease and her expression darken as Burke offers her 200 caps to rig the Megaton bomb in the centre of the town to explode.

Aletta asks why.

A business associate, says Burke, considers the town something of an eyesore and has asked him to ensure it's destruction.

'So that's it? Just Business?' Aletta pries, to which Burke replies with a smile and a shrug of his shoulders.

'Afraid so.'

He chuckles and Aletta has the sudden urge to slap the smug smile from his face.

'No.' Is the answer, Aletta realises and before she is even fully committed to saying it, the word forces itself out of her mouth. Burke's smile fades slightly, but he can see the doubt in her eyes, she is tempted, maybe a few more caps will synch the deal.

'What about 500? How about then?'

_Forget the caps and the information about Dad, this is immoral and I'll have no part in it._

'I said no.' Comes the final answer.

The smile fades completely from the businessman's lips, replaced by a scowl that sends a chill down Aletta's spine.

'Very well,' Burke begins, leaning back in his chair, 'if you won't do it, I'm sure I can find someone else who will.'

Aletta narrows her eyes and leans forwards, 'No you won't; you are going to leave. Right now or else I'll alert the Sheriff, and the rest of the town, to your little plan.'

Aletta finishes, letting Burke think on her point. As intimidating as he seems, she doubts even he would pose much of a challenge to a town full of settlers, protecting what they strived so to build.

Burke takes a breath and Aletta watches his chest rise and fall, his nostrils flare, his eyes, she imagines, narrow behind the glasses. He seems to be considering her, weighing up his options. His fingers twitch as if they want to reach for a gun and Aletta mimics this minute action, letting him know that she too is armed.

After a few tense moments, Burke backs down.

He stands, brushes the front of his suit down, absent-mindedly. Aletta watches him all the while, eyes locked on opaque lenses. Then the bastard tips his hat, smiles a smile that makes Aletta's blood run like ice through her veins and leaves with a cold and calculating, 'Until we meet again.'

* * *

_So yeah, I started yet another Fic. This one is a first for me though as it is going to be written entirely in the present tense. I hope you like it. I have the plot all outlined so hopefully it will be a case of just writing up and publishing._

_Anyway, hope you enjoying reading, following, alerting and reviewing (hint, hint :p) this here fic! _


	2. Money Talks

**Thanks for the Memory.**

**Chapter Two: Money Talks. **

Simms is not best pleased when Aletta knocks on his door, after dark. He listens to what she has to say though and is grateful for the tip-off about the plot to destroy the town.

'Always knew someone'd have that idea eventually. Too many evil sons-a-bitches out there.' He seethes, offering Aletta a glass of something he calls Whiskey. She takes a sip, finds she likes it, but the liquid burns her throat as she swallows, so she paces herself.

'What we need is someone who can disarm the thing completely, once and for all.' The mayor coaxes, raising an eyebrow in Aletta's direction, 'I don't suppose - '

'Me? You have got to be kidding?'

'Come on, you came from the Vault, right? Your dad was a scientist?'

Aletta's brow creases in disbelief, 'A doctor, a medical doctor.'

Simms doesn't relax his gaze on her, 'Could you do it?'

'Maybe, but then again, maybe not.'

_Smooth, _Aletta chides herself inwardly, _Now it just sounds as if you want to be paid. _

'How about for some caps?'

Aletta curses, asks how many, gets Simms to settle at 200. Seems fair, she supposes, given that she might not disarm the bomb at all for lack of skill. Besides, Moriarty was asking for 100 for information; she could pay him and still have some left over. So she strikes the deal, kips on the Mayor's couch for the night and says she'll do it in the morning.

The morning comes around all too soon and before she knows it Aletta is shin-deep in the nausea-inducing puddle, removing the access panel. Simms has lent her a pair of pliers, surprisingly still sharp. She holds them in her right hand firstly, before seeing the shameful tremor there. She switches to her left and then back again.

There's itching on her back and she doesn't have to turn around to know that there is a crowd gathered there. They look on with baited breath and even inhale in unison when Aletta finally chooses herself a wire and severs it with a short, sharp, snick.

Aletta releases a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding and she guts the cavity for good measure before replacing the panel cover. She turns to see a dissipating crowd.

A few settlers approach her and express gratitude, but it is Simms who waits patiently to curl an arm around her shoulders and pat her on the back. She hands him a mess of plastic, cables and his pliers and he hands her a Hessian bag of bottle caps. Their business concluded, they part ways and Simms wishes her luck in finding her father.

Aletta almost shoots Moriarty in the face when he ups the price of his Intel saying he won't settle for less than 300 now. She resists the urge to jam the barrel of her pistol into his eye socket and leaves, disgruntled and wondering where she can source an extra 100 caps.

Her route back down from the saloon takes her past a building she has yet to enter, a building dubbed, 'Craterside Supply'.

With a weighted sigh, she pushes open the door, figuring that finding dad will just have to wait and that what she really needs now is a change of clothes; she is tired of people making remarks about her vault jumpsuit (though nothing nasty she is fed up with feeling like an alien). She thinks about discarding her Pip-boy too, but she can't quite bring herself to imagine her arm without it. She'll keep it, she resolves, if for nothing else than to replay Dad's note for clues.

The door opens in on a large room with a counter to the right, various shelving units with an array of items on them and a surly man with an assault rifle swung across his back leaning, arms-folded against the wall to the left. There is a flight of stairs towards the back of the room and a few doors, Aletta assumes lead to stock rooms of some description, are arranged one in each remaining wall.

Aletta sees no one else and approaches the man, assuming he is the shopkeeper. He scowls as she nears him and Aletta is just about to open her mouth to speak when a woman emerges from a doorway towards the back and greets her enthusiastically.

Aletta finds the woman's upbeat demeanour patronising and her voice, grating, but she is patient and listens as she introduces her self as Moira Brown, 'shopkeeper and tinkerer.'

Aletta is not one hundred percent sure what a tinkerer actually is and zones out a little as Moira rambles on about a book she is planning to write.

Aletta browses the merchandise and replies sardonically when the shopkeeper says that she would love to have a forward by a genuine 'Vault-dweller'. Aletta makes up some crap about not being able to see the ceiling in the main room and Moira eats it up with glee. She doesn't much care for the woman's ignorance or the belittling laughter that follows, but she continues to be polite and listen. That is when Moira says she needs an errand running and is willing to pay for the service.

'What errand?'

'Just a scavenging expedition really; I need to know where it is and isn't safe to find food and medical supplies. That sort of thing.'

Aletta is unsure and says she will think about it. Moira says something about how sometimes it's best not to think about things and Aletta treats the woman to her best in sarcastic smiles. She selects a settlers outfit from the shelves, sizes it up hastily, wanting to be out of the store as quickly as she possibly can. However, Moira is dithering, folding the clothes and looking for a bag to put them in that Aletta is sure doesn't even exist.

Aletta says she doesn't need anything since she'll change into them soon anyway. Moira insists and then brings the errand up as she is rummaging. Aletta cannot help but to roll her eyes and she asks how dangerous it is likely to be.

'A few Mole ratties.' Moira assures her, 'A stray dog or two, small critters; nothing that'll put up much of a fight.'

Aletta mulls the proposition over in her mind, Moira stops looking for the bag, leans on the counter in anticipation. Aletta reluctantly accepts - knowing it's the only way she'll make it out of the shop anytime soon - and adds some ammo and Stimpaks to the pile. Moira gives her the location of the place and Aletta leaves Craterside Supply, feeling like she is one step closer and two steps further away from finding her father.


End file.
